Economics: People have strong reasons to think that their economic situations are relatively good. What are those strong reasons? They are that people’s economic situations are relatively good. Worries about the state of the economy are overwhelmingly worries about future risks, or people remembering that they have heard that other people elsewhere are not doing well:

Conference Board (May 2023): Survey: US Job Satisfaction Hits All-Time High: ‘American workers are more content than ever, according to The Conference Board <conference-board.org/publications/US-wo…. The report finds improved satisfaction across nearly all 26 components—with gains in non-compensation factors like work-life balance outpacing even those from improved pay and benefits. Overall, 62.3 percent of US workers were satisfied in 2022—up from 60.2 percent in 2021. That’s the highest level recorded since the survey began in 1987…. “With unemployment at record lows, it’s a sellers’ market for labor—US workers are reaping the rewards,” said Eren Selcuk, Senior Economist at The Conference Board. “Job satisfaction was up across the board in 2022—and especially high for workers who switched jobs…”. “With the labor market remaining tight for the foreseeable future, a focus on worker retention is that much more important,” said Allan Schweyer, Principal Researcher of Human Capital at The Conference Board… <conference-board.org/press/job-satisfac…>